The meat dress is here! Yes, Lady Gaga’s meat dress is now at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and has been installed in our Women Who Rock exhibit. After Gaga wore the dress at the 2010 MTV Music Video Awards show, we contacted her managers and asked if we might be able to get the dress for our exhibit. They said yes, but obviously it had to be treated in some way so we could exhibit it. They sent the dress to American Taxidermy in California, where it was placed in a meat locker. It was then placed in a vat of chemicals and, while still pliable, was put on a body form and allowed to dry. This process actually took a while because the dress was made up of separate layers of Argentinian beef. After drying, the meat was painted to look fresh, rather than the dark, beef-jerky look it had taken on when it began dehydrating. The dress actually arrived at the Museum last Friday. We opened the crates on Monday and started getting it ready to be put on exhibit. And now it is up! You have to come and check it out!

Related:

As told to Access Hollywood, Lady Gaga explains the meat dress in her own words:

“It was actually inspired by my makeup artist, Valium Garland. She wore meat in the 70s, to go out to parties, and we were talking about it, then as she was telling me the story I was actually in the middle of writing my speech for Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell repeal, I did a big rally in Maine. And I called it the prime rib of America…the prime rib of the American Constitution is equality. The best cut of meat this country has to offer. So I wore the meat dress as a statement about equality, um, wearing the best cut meat and arriving and taking as my dates with me discharged soldiers, under the enforcement of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell in the military. So it means something to me for many reasons, one, it was a very big night for myself and the Haüs of Gaga, winning all those amazing awards at the VMA’s, and feeling like the cool kids, but more importantly, the power of young people- the power of the young generation to use their voices to mobilize change. That meat dress represents part of, a very small, small part of the movement towards equality, and for it to be honored in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is the shit.”

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This is where we will post insights from Rock Hall staff and guest writers about exhibits, events, concerts and more with an emphasis on lesser known facets of the Rock Hall. Consider this your backstage pass.